Tag Archives: The Other 90%
Do You Suffer from a Motivation Deficit?
There are business books that deal with practically every business issue you can imagine. But there is one theme that never disappears, that is perpetually resurrected, because it deals with such a basic human problem. It goes by a lot of names: motivation; self-improvement; self-help. The idea is simple – how can I get better at what I do? — every day. Over and over again, I need to improve…myself.
And there are two parts to this getting better battle. One part is skill development. The other part is, where will I find the energy/focus/motivation to get better?
I recently re-read my handout to a book I presented back in July, 2001: The Other 90%: How to Unlock Your Vast Untapped Potential for Leadership and Life by Robert W. Cooper. The book reminds us all that we simply are not living up to our possibilities, our capacities, our capabilities. We can get better at what we do! We can do better at our job, at our relationships, at our lives.
The book is filled with quotes like these:
“What if every day I had questioned yesterday’s definition of my best? What if I’d listened to my own heart instead of their words. Then I might have kept looking deeper and giving the world more of the best that was hidden inside me. All of us are mostly unused potential.” (Hugh Cooper Sr., the author’s grandfather)
“There is no passion to be found in playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” (Nelson Mandela)
“The world belongs to those with the most energy.” (Alexis de Tocqueville)
First thing Monday morning, do you wake up envisioning – “Another week of stress and strain at work” – or “Another chance to do more of the things I love”?
As Hegel observed, “We may affirm that absolutely nothing great in the world has been accomplished without passion.”
No matter who you are, no matter how hard your life has been, no matter what challenges you are facing right now, every moment you have within your reach what my grandfather knew we all have – the opportunity to shape what you are becoming.
Here’s what I think. People who only listen to motivational speakers, people who only read self-help books, are probably not tackling the skill development they need to tackle. Motivation help alone does not cut it.
But, on the other hand, we probably could all do better than we are doing. After the skill development, there is an attitude adjustment and improvement, a raising of the energy bar, that we all need to tackle. Over and over again. So maybe we should read an occasional book that in one way or another reminds us that we really could and probably should become all that we can be.
The Other 90% is a good book to choose.
—-
The book is filled with practical suggestions, such as how to take a short break during the day that helps you renew your energy. You can purchase my synopsis of this book, with handout + audio, at our companion web site, 15minutebusinessbooks.com.
In an age of stress, you can incorporate “energy builders” into your life
The Other 90%
It’s Monday morning. Time for a Monday morning quote:
First thing Monday morning, do you wake up envisioning – “Another week of stress and strain at work” – or “Another chance to do more of the things I love”?
This is one of the many fine quotes from the book by Robert Cooper, The Other 90%: How to Unlock Your Vast Untapped Potential for Leadership and Life.
I’ve been thinking a lot about issues of time/energy management lately. Recently I wrote this post: Is Everybody Tired, or is it Just Me? — Energy and Time Management in the Midst of Challenging Times. And I sense that a whole lot of people are tired.
I teach a few classes at one of the Dallas County Community Colleges as a member of the adjunct faculty. I am meeting quite a few fellow faculty members who teach the maximum number of classes, and then they also teach in other colleges outside of the district. They run from one engagement to another, piecing together a living. Independents (like me) especially have this problem. And the constant shift; the fact that they do not “go” to work, but they go from task to task, from “job” to “job,” adds to the stress.
But it’s not just independents. The people with “normal” jobs are equally stressed. Have you seen the latest productivity numbers. America’s productivity is up, but so is unemployment. The same (actually fewer) people are churning out more and more work. Productivity is up because individuals are doing more and more. Here’s the report summary:
The Washington Post carries an AP story this morning reporting that productivity rose by an annual rate of more than 6 percent during the second quarter, while labor costs plummeted. As the story notes, productivity, or output per hour of labor, is often “a key ingredient for rising living standards,” but in recent months companies have been using the output gains to cut costs and bolster their bottom lines. A related Wall Street Journal story offers further explanation. “The net result” of businesses squeezing more work out of fewer employees, the Journal writes, is “rising unemployment, stagnant wages, sagging consumer confidence — and better-than-expected corporate profits.”
So, for this Monday morning, I present a list of suggestions, things to do to help with the stress. These come from the Cooper book, The Other 90%. And when I remember to do these, I can tell you that they help. Here’s the list:
• The seven elements of a “break”:
• Deepen and relax your breathing.
• Change your view and catch some light.
• Re-balance your posture and loosen up.
• Sip ice water.
• Enjoy a moment of humor.
• Add some inspiration.
• EAT SMART.
• Start the day right: without a bang…
• Awaken without a jarring alarm.
• Turn on the lights.
• Get at least five minutes of relaxed physical activity.
• Enjoy several bites of a great-tasting breakfast.
Very practical. And I have tried to incorporate a few of them. For example, I have changed my alarm to a soothing “harp” choice (from my iPhone. It really is less jarring). I do sip ice water (he recommends cold, ice water . I don’t know why – but it works). And I periodically click on one of Andrew Sullinvan’s “mental health breaks” links (not always humorous, but always a nice distraction). Here’s one. And for inspiration, I read constantly — including the blog posts by Bob Morris on this blog
So – on a Monday morning, think about how you can begin and spend your week with passion and energy.
Good luck.
———-
• You can order the synopsis of my presentation of The Other 90%, at our companion web site, 15 Minute Business Books.
Build Your Own Strategic Reading Plan — or, How Should You Pick Which Business Book(s) to Read?
So, I’m sitting in front of my television set. “Nothing” is on, and I simply spend some time “surfing” in hopes of finding something that will grab my interest. I don’t do this often, but to unwind, I do it occasionally. I much prefer my “appointment” television — you know, when I want to watch television with a plan in mind, like — when I want to watch House, or a football game.
I wonder if my purposeless surfing has a parallel in our reading habits. How do you pick business books to read? Do you just grab the latest title you’ve heard of: if there is buzz about a specific book, do you say to yourself, “I want to be in on the know about that book?” I can understand that. If everyone seems to be talking about Outliers, or The Black Swan, or Good to Great, we all want to be in on the conversation. But I have a hunch that even then, the books we choose may not always be dealing with the issues we are dealing with at the moment. Or the skills we need to develop. Or the information gaps we need to fill.
Yes, it is true that reading almost any book will help us in our never-ending pursuit of excellence and success. “The more you know, the more you know.” But if our hours are precious, and already full of things to do, not only do we need to read to learn and grow — we need to read the best books, the right books for us, for us to learn and grow.
So, I have a suggestion — why not develop your own “strategic” business book reading plan. You can still read those popular books, but maybe you could always keep one book going that fits your needs, fills your gaps, deals with issues that you are actually dealing with. Just a few minutes a day, or one focused block of time during the week, will help you knock off that book that can genuinely help you with what you need the most.
So – how do you find which books will meet your needs? One way (forgive the self-serving comment here) is to read this blog. Bob Morris, and our entire blogging team, will help you filter out books that don’t fit the bill, and help identify the books that would be most useful. I warn you – reading Bob’s posts will make you wish you had time to read all of the books he refers us to. Few of us would have the time to do so. But use his posts as a filter, to help identify the books that would be most useful. Another way would be to attend the First Friday Book Synopsis (if you live near DFW). We present two synopses every month of best-selling business books. Our synopses can give you enough content to know the key themes and ideas of a book, help you filter out what does not fit your needs, and whet your appetite for a deeper dive into those books that you would find most valuable.
But to help you get started with your own strategic business book reading plan, I have started a chart. This is my first draft, and it includes, primarily, books that I have presented at the First Friday Book Synopsis. My colleague Karl Krayer would include different titles, and maybe all of us could help identify additional and different titles and business issues. So — here it is. I can say, with certainly, that each of these books was worth my time. Maybe this could help you start a strategic business reading regimen of your own.
A Strategic Business Book Reading Plan
|
If you need to: |
Then you might want to read: |
| Aim higher – personally | The Other 90% |
| Think/work like an athlete in training | Outliers
Talent is Overrated |
| Think like an innovator | The Creative Habit
The Art of Innovation |
| Get better at time management | Getting Things Done
The Power of Full Engagement |
| Become a better servant leader | Servant Leadership |
| Nurture and build your people | Encouraging the Heart |
| Market more effectively | Waiting For Your Cat to Bark
The Tipping Point The Long Tail |
| Get better connected | Wikinomics
Groundswell |
| Network more effectively | Never Eat Alone |
| Communicate more effectively | Words that Work
Made to Stick |
| Be a (very good) generalist | Reality Check |
| Negotiate more effectively | Women Don’t Ask
Ask for It |
| Play well with others | The Five Dysfunctions of a Team |
| Learn to learn | The Opposable Mind |
| Learn to tell the truth | Crucial Conversations
Winning |
You can try this list, or develop your own. You can start slow – with one book a month. In a year, you will have made great progress working through your strategic reading plan, and, more importantly, you will have learned more, you will know more, and I suspect you will be able to do more.
{To purchase my synopses of many of these titles, with handout + audio, go to our 15 Minute Business Book site}.
